Sungkyunkwan Scandal () is a South Korean historical drama starring Park Yoo-chun, Park Min-young, Song Joong-ki, and Yoo Ah-in. Directed by Kim Won-seok and written by Kim Tae-hee, it is based on Jung Eun-gwol's bestselling 2007 novel . It aired on KBS2 from August 30 to November 2, 2010 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.
Synopsis In order to support her family during a time when society forbids women from obtaining an education or finding employment, Kim Yoon-hee poses as her brother, Kim Yoon-shik. After doing a number of odd jobs, mostly at a nearby bookshop, she is given the opportunity to boost her income by taking the entrance exam at Sungkyunkwan, Joseon's top university, as a substitute. Sungkyunkwan is a place of Confucian learning where students and teachers learn from each other, causing radical changes in their thinking, and so sacred a place that even royal guards may not enter. She is apprehended by the moral Lee Sun-joon, who subsequently recognizes Yoon-hee's abilities and even urges her to apply to the university.
While trying to contain her developing feelings for Lee Sun-joon, Kim Yoon-hee she must deal with the unending mischief of upperclassman Gu Yong-ha, tolerate the mood swings of her rebellious roommate Moon Jae-shin, stay out of trouble with the strict student body president Ha In-soo, and keep her secret hidden. The "Jalgeum Quartet" consists of Moon, Gu, Lee, and Kim together. The drama takes place during King Jeongjo's reign, during which he enlists the quartet to help him deal with the intrigues of the court. The is the subject of the last episodes.
Cast
Main Park Yoo-chun as Yi Seon-jun, nicknamed "Ga-rang" Park Min-young as Kim Yun-hee (when girl)/Kim Yoon-shik (when boy), nicknamed "Dae-mul" Bang Jun-seo as young Kim Yunhee Song Joong-ki as Gu Yong-ha, nicknamed "Yeo-rim" Yoo Ah-in as Mun Jae-sin, nicknamed "Geol-o"
Supporting Jun Tae-soo as Ha In-su Seo Hyo-rim as Ha Hyo-eun Kim Min-seo as Jo-seon Ahn Nae-sang as Jeong Yak-yong Jo Sung-ha as King Jeongjo of Joseon Kim Kap-soo as Yi Jeong-mu, second state councillor and Seon-jun's father Lee Jae-yong as Ha U-gyu, minister of military affairs and In-su's father
Extended
Kang Sung-pil as Im Byung-choon Ji Nam-hyuk as Seol Go-bong Chae Byung-chan as Kang-moo Kim Ik-tae as Chae Je-gong, chief state councillor Choi Dong-joon as Moon Geun-soo, minister of Saheonbu and Jae-shin's Father Kim Kwang-kyu as Hwang-ga Kim Ha-kyoon as Choi Shin-mook Park Geun-soo as Yoo Chang-ik Kim Young-bae as Go Jang-bok Kim Jung-kyoon as Ahn Do-hyun Jang Se-hyun as Kim Woo-tak Hwang Chan-woo as Bae Hae-won Im Young-pil as Ham Choon-ho Joo Ah-sung as Nam Myung-shik Kim Mi-kyung as Ms. Jo, Yoon-hee's mother Ha Min-jae as Kim Yoon Shik, Yoon-hee' younger brother Ryu Dam as Soon-dol Sung Hyun-joo as Beo-deul Im Yoon-jung as Aeng-aeng Jung Hye-mi as Seom-seom Park Dong-bin as Woo-kyu's steward Jo Yi-sam as Soron Yusaeng Bae Jae-ho as Soron Yusaeng Eom Bo-yong as Cheon-dong Kim Dan-yool as Bok-dong Lee Tae-ri as Bok-soo, Bok-dong's elder brother Oh Na-mi as Mi-hyun, Hyo-eun's friend Ahn Nam-hee as Jung-hyun, Hyo-eun's friend Nam Myung-ryul as Kim Seung-heon, Yoon-hee's Father
Cameos Lee In as Park Dal-jae (episode 1) Lee Won-jong as Shaman (episode 8) Park Chul-min as Yoon Hyung-gu (episode 9, 17~18) Ki Im-beom as Song Yong-tae (episode 9~10) Lee Dal-hyung as Yong-ha's father (episode 17~18)
Notes
Reception The series attracted a fervent fanbase that belied its modest mid-teen ratings. Its cult popularity was manifested in the very high online activity on the message boards of its official website and in popular portal DC Inside, the number of episode viewings on the KBS website, as well as units of DVDs and OST albums sold. The original soundtrack, which featured Park Yoo-chun's band JYJ, sold 110,000 copies in a couple of weeks. The old campus of Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) was the setting for the fusion historical drama, which also starred alumnus Song Joong-ki, resulting in increased interest in SKKU from international audiences who watched the drama.
Adaptation Differences The drama introduced the Geumdeung document as a central plot device to add political conflict to the romance-centered narrative of the original novel. Writer Kim Tae-hee explained that she believed the cross-dressing premise alone would not be sufficient to sustain the drama's tension, and used the Geumdeung document to organically connect the Hongbyeokseo storyline with the main characters while highlighting King Jeongjo's reform policies. The production company likewise noted that the romance alone could not carry the series, prompting the addition of a central conflict.
The characterizations and backgrounds of the main characters were also substantially altered from those in the novel. Lee Sun-joon, portrayed as an idealized character in the novel, was adapted in the drama as more temperamental and imperfect, allowing room for character growth. Kim Yoon-hee was made more proactive, reflecting the experiences of young people of her time who retained hope despite difficult circumstances. Moon Jae-shin was reinterpreted as a character who combines the rough, wild qualities of his novel counterpart with greater emotional sensitivity, with his arc expanded to include conflict with his father and the pain of unrequited love. Gu Yong-ha's married status in the novel was changed to unmarried in the drama, removing a narrative constraint on the character. Writer Kim Tae-hee described all four leads as flawed, multidimensional characters given clear arcs of personal growth.
Ratings Episode #Original broadcast date Average audience shareTNmS RatingsAGB NielsenNationwideSeoul National Capital AreaNationwideSeoul National Capital Area 1 30 August 20107.7%8.6%6.3%8.7% 2 31 August 20107.2%8.2%6.3%9.0% 3 6 September 20108.0%8.1%7.3%9.3% 4 7 September 20107.6%8.0%7.5%8.8% 5 13 September 20107.8%8.1%8.0%9.5% 6 14 September 20108.0%7.8%8.4%8.4% 7 20 September 20109.7%9.0%8.7%9.0% 8 21 September 20108.2%8.2%7.9%9.5% 9 27 September 20109.8%9.2%9.2%9.6% 10 28 September 201010.1%9.3%10.2%10.6% 11 4 October 20109.2%8.8%10.4%10.5% 12 5 October 20109.9%9.7%10.7%11.1% 13 11 October 201011.2%11.1%12.8%13.1% 14 12 October 201010.3%10.1%10.9%10.9% 15 18 October 201013.0%13.0%13.1%14.0% 16 19 October 201013.7%13.7%14.3%15.1% 17 25 October 201012.9%13.1%13.0%13.9% 18 26 October 201012.0%11.9%12.6%13.4% 19 1 November 201012.5%12.2%11.8%12.6% 20 2 November 201013.3%13.2%12.8%13.4% Average 10.1% - 10.1% -
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref. 2010 Top Excellence Award, Actor Kim Kap-soo Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama Song Joong-ki Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama Park Min-young Best New Actor Park Yoochun Yoo Ah-in Netizens' Award, Actor Park Yoochun Song Joong-ki Yoo Ah-in Netizens' Award, Actress Park Min-young Popularity Award, Actor Song Joong-ki Best Couple Award Park Yoochun and Park Min-young Yoo Ah-in and Song Joong-ki 2011 Best Drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal Best Actress (TV) Park Min-young Best New Director (TV) Kim Won-seok Best New Actor (TV) Park Yoochun Most Popular Actor (TV) Outstanding Korean Drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal Outstanding Korean Actor Park Yoochun Outstanding Korean Actress Park Min-young Outstanding Korean Drama OST "Found You" - JYJ People's Choice Award Park Yoochun Best Drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal Best Director Kim Won-seok Best Actress Park Min-young Best New Actor Park Yoochun Song Joong-ki Best New Actress Kim Min-seo Best Mid-length Drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal 2012 Bronze World Medal for Best Miniseries
Theatrical versions The series was edited into a theatrical version which screened in Japanese cinemas from May 6–19, 2011 as part of the "Dokimeki☆Ikemen Festival."
For the drama's first anniversary, Korean cable channel QTV (a joint venture between Turner Broadcasting System and JoongAng Ilbo's affiliate, IS Plus) re-edited the series into a two-hour TV movie which aired on September 10, 2011.
References
External links